The only thing scarier than a trained medical professional jabbing a hypodermic needle deep into your arm is an unfeeling robot with no bedside manner attempting the same thing. So Cobi employs a less intimidating alternative: a needle-less injection technology developed by another company that uses a high-pressure fluid jet, no thicker than a human hair, to inject the vaccine’s contents deep into arm tissue.
Some medical robots, such as those designed for surgery, are remotely operated by real surgeons who can be miles away but still monitor the progress of the procedure through live video streams. Cobi, instead, automates all of that, first using cameras to detect the presence of a patient and then their documentation or identification. The robot’s hand features a LiDAR sensor that quickly scans the patient to create a 3D map of their body which is analyzed by software to determine the best spot for an injection to be made. Through a display, the patient is then given instructions on how to prepare for the shot, including where to stand, in what position, and whether articles of clothing need to be removed.
In a real-world setting, there are thousands of variables that need to be taken into account for such a robot to be effective at that specific task, including systems put in place to ensure that patients are who they say they are (facial recognition, etc.) which is why the platform’s creators believe it will still be a couple of years before Cobi starts administering vaccinations. But automating this task could make vaccinating large populations easier, cheaper, faster, and safer as it potentially reduces the exposure risk for medical professionals too. And while two years seems like a long time, we’re still not sure how long the current pandemic will drag on, and annual Covid-19 booster shots are starting to seem like a very real thing.
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